djstud
Active Member
Starting a new build for my Cigar Lounge. I purchased an Innovative Marine Nuvo 16 AIO in 2012. I had it set up as a soft coral tank but ran into nutrient issues which caused the algae to take over so I took it down. I have had the aquarium in storage every since. Looking through all of the Nano Build Threads has me fired up to set this little tank up again. I am definitely going to go about this different this time so this I do not have the nutrient issues.
This is what it looks like now that I have it cleaned up.
The first thing I have to do is re-seal the inside back panel with new silicone. It seeps a little bit of water between the filter compartment and the DT. I used SCS1200 Clear Silicone for this. I have had very good luck with this silicone in the past.
I definitely want to run a Protein Skimmer on this tank this time. The skimmer that was made to fit this tank is no longer available. I checked the measurement on the new version that fits the Innovative Marine Desktop Model but it is too large to fit in the filtration chamber.
I have located one of the original skimmers on ebay. It was actually being sold by Innovative Marine but was not listed on their website. It is the Innovative Marine Bio Skim Aqua Gadget Protein Skimmer.
Has anyone ever used this skimmer? I assume it will work and I really don't have much else to choose from. Nothing else will fit.
I also want to run a reactor on this to help reduce Phosphates. I did not have this last time and my Phosphates were always way too high. I looked at the Mini Max Media Reactor by Innovative Marine and according to the specifications it would fit so I purchased one on amazon and it does fit.
I definitely wanted to use a titanium heater with a controller for this build. I decided to go with a Finnex Heater which is a brand that I have never used before. Hopefully I am not messing up by not using a more expensive heater.
I am going it go with CaribSea Arag-Alive Sand as my substrate. I used this on my 75 gallon build and I like it a lot. My circulation pumps do not move it around but it is also small enough for some sand sifting gobies.
I wanted to go with a new return pump as the one that came with this tank only moves 110 gph and is 9 years old. I measured my return chamber and decided to go with the Mighty Jet by Innovative Marine. This is a fully controllable DC pump that has a Stream Mode, a Wave Mode, and a Feed Mode. I can be ran from 10% all the way up to 100% which is 326 gph. Since I am only going to keeping soft corals, will this be enough flow or will I need to add a nano circulation pump? If so, what pump should I go with. I don't want anything too large in such a small tank.
I am going with base rock that I have had in my 75 Gallon DT since December 2020. I have purchase a small amount of Live Rock for my 75 Gallon DT but it has not arrived yet. When it shows upI will put a couple of small pieces in this 16 gallon DT for additional bacteria and "life". The place that I ordered from is currently out of stock and his boat is in the shop.
This is how my aquascape look so far. It will change once I have added the live rock. I currently have my algae blenny under quarantine in this tank since my 75 gallon DT came down with Marine Velvet. I am running Copper Power and Prazipro to treat this fish. This has temporarily put this build on hold. What light does everyone recommend on a tank this small since I am planning on having soft corals? I am currently using Lifeguard Aquatics light that I had around.
Let me know what you think of my aquascape.
This is what it looks like now that I have it cleaned up.
The first thing I have to do is re-seal the inside back panel with new silicone. It seeps a little bit of water between the filter compartment and the DT. I used SCS1200 Clear Silicone for this. I have had very good luck with this silicone in the past.
I definitely want to run a Protein Skimmer on this tank this time. The skimmer that was made to fit this tank is no longer available. I checked the measurement on the new version that fits the Innovative Marine Desktop Model but it is too large to fit in the filtration chamber.
I have located one of the original skimmers on ebay. It was actually being sold by Innovative Marine but was not listed on their website. It is the Innovative Marine Bio Skim Aqua Gadget Protein Skimmer.
Has anyone ever used this skimmer? I assume it will work and I really don't have much else to choose from. Nothing else will fit.
I also want to run a reactor on this to help reduce Phosphates. I did not have this last time and my Phosphates were always way too high. I looked at the Mini Max Media Reactor by Innovative Marine and according to the specifications it would fit so I purchased one on amazon and it does fit.
I definitely wanted to use a titanium heater with a controller for this build. I decided to go with a Finnex Heater which is a brand that I have never used before. Hopefully I am not messing up by not using a more expensive heater.
I am going it go with CaribSea Arag-Alive Sand as my substrate. I used this on my 75 gallon build and I like it a lot. My circulation pumps do not move it around but it is also small enough for some sand sifting gobies.
I wanted to go with a new return pump as the one that came with this tank only moves 110 gph and is 9 years old. I measured my return chamber and decided to go with the Mighty Jet by Innovative Marine. This is a fully controllable DC pump that has a Stream Mode, a Wave Mode, and a Feed Mode. I can be ran from 10% all the way up to 100% which is 326 gph. Since I am only going to keeping soft corals, will this be enough flow or will I need to add a nano circulation pump? If so, what pump should I go with. I don't want anything too large in such a small tank.
I am going with base rock that I have had in my 75 Gallon DT since December 2020. I have purchase a small amount of Live Rock for my 75 Gallon DT but it has not arrived yet. When it shows upI will put a couple of small pieces in this 16 gallon DT for additional bacteria and "life". The place that I ordered from is currently out of stock and his boat is in the shop.
This is how my aquascape look so far. It will change once I have added the live rock. I currently have my algae blenny under quarantine in this tank since my 75 gallon DT came down with Marine Velvet. I am running Copper Power and Prazipro to treat this fish. This has temporarily put this build on hold. What light does everyone recommend on a tank this small since I am planning on having soft corals? I am currently using Lifeguard Aquatics light that I had around.
